Bonding an unspayed female with a nutered male

[Augustus and Octavia]

So my 2 year old male bunny has moved to a large outdoor cage over the summer and loves it!! So much space and 24 hour playtime. But he started getting really lonely it seems, laying around, not excited about anything but treats, he wouldn’t even play with his toys. So I got a female from a breeder, she’s two months old and I plan to start bonding them in two months when she reaches maturity and after Gus’ hormones die down. (We waited this long to get him nutered because my parents wouldn’t let me and I only recently was able to pay. So he’s getting nutered in a week, I called the vet) I plan on getting the new bunny spayed when she’s a little older, probably 6-8 months to be safe. But I would really like to get them bonded by Christmas, both are very sweet and affectionate so I’m hoping it’s a match.
My question is, is it possible to bond them? With the age difference and Octavia not being spayed yet? I heard it’s dangerous to spay after they’re bonded because it might break their bond but the vet said Augustus could join her in her carrier when we go and stay with her. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated ?

[Stormybun]

while it is possible, it’s not recommended. Unfixed rabbits are way more territorial than fixed ones, this causes a lot of fights during bonding. This makes the bonding longer and more stressful on the bunnies. Stress is related to certain illnesses so it can also make some vet bills. It’s better for you and your bunnies to wait.

[tobyluv]

The first step in bonding is for both rabbits to be spayed or neutered, so you should keep your rabbits separated until the female has been spayed and 2 to 4 weeks have passed since the surgery. It’s surprising that the vet said Augustus could stay with your new bunny after her surgery. That would be dangerous. She needs to heal, and to be by herself. Rabbits can go into a post neuter or post spay craze, due to the fluctuating hormone levels. The female could be aggressive after surgery, with scuffling or even fights resulting. She needs to be quiet and not have any chance that her stitches would be opened, or that she gets injured in any way.

[Pennylane]

Tobyluv you said that females need quiet and to be alone after surgery and can get crazy due to hormones. Does this mean from and/or towards humans too?

[Stormybun]

mostly yes, of course she’ll still need a human to give her food and ect. but try to keep the room she’s in quiet and where nothing that can stress her out

[tobyluv]

Posted By Pennylane on 9/28/2016 6:34 PM

Tobyluv you said that females need quiet and to be alone after surgery and can get crazy due to hormones. Does this mean from and/or towards humans too?

I meant that a female shouldn’t be caged or penned up with any other rabbits, or  have contact with any other animals that may be in the house.  You don’t want to take a risk that she gets agitated in any way, or have anything happen that could cause her stitches to come open.  I think that regular human contact, such as petting or talking,  would be fine, unless that seems to stress her out for some reason.  A person will of course have to handle her at least once a day to administer the pain medication that she will take for a few days, plus it’s a good idea to take a quick look at the incision site, to make sure there is no redness or irritation.  A person may also have to entice her to eat, if she isn’t eating well on her own.  But she does need rest and quiet for a few days.

[Dface]

I bonded my female to my male when she was unspayed, there was no problems and they bonded very quickly. However her hormones meant that she would display aggression towards him every few weeks or so-her hormones told her to have babies, but my male wouldn’t mate with her because he no longer had the urge, and it resulted in her becoming frustrated, so in the end, despite bonding being successful it was still a better decision in the long run to have her nuetered to save them both the agitation in the long run

[Author]

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